Wherever you live in the world you are going to come across some animals that you do not want in and around your home. Obviously, the threat posed by these invaders depends hugely on where you are based! Over here in the UK we get rather concerned about spiders about an inch across that can’t hurt you and wasps as well as the usual rats and mice. Fellow dads in Australia have snakes that can certainly kill you as well as a range of scary looking spiders too! Depending on where you are in the US you might be fighting off a tiny spider or a massive scorpion! Wherever you are in a family situation it does tend to be the dad’s job to get the offending creature out of the house or deal with the pest problem…or is it? And should it be?

Pests or Just an Annoyance

It is really crucial to recognise the difference between a real pest problem and just something to be removed. Having a wasp in your house isn’t really a big deal unless someone in the home is allergic. It can be tackled using spray, something to swat it or a nice humane way of getting it out a window. But if you spot a nest the same casual approach must not apply. DIY wasp nest removal is not a good idea! Wasps, like many other hymenopterans (wasps, bees and ants) will protect the hive at all costs. This means anyone or anything trying to damage or move a nest is going to be in trouble. Wasps will attack and sting, one sting might be fine but receiving 10, 20 or more can be dangerous! There are also the other factors like actually getting to a nest. If ladders and the like are involved things can go wrong. It doesn’t take much to get spooked and fall off!

The best thing to do? Call the experts, regardless of how manly you may be feeling!

Humane or Cheap

When it comes to pests like rats and mice there are lots of options that will help you to feel less bad about killing a creature. For the odd animal found in the home a trap can be fine! they should be quick and painless. Humane, non-lethal traps may sound like a good idea but if the nest is around the home they won’t work. When it comes to dealing with a nest opting for a DIY approach using fire or chemicals is likely to be very cruel and should be avoided. While you may feel like it’s your role as the dad to get it fixed it is important to do it right! Setting an example of poor animal treatment to children is a bad thing and not one a dad should accept.

Mums are Tougher than Dads?

Its controversial to ever pit genders against each other and this point is really just a joke, but in many cases us dads can be just as scared of creepy crawlies as the women in the house and that is just fine! It is also very common to have strong mums just stepping in and dealing with a flying nasty without half the fuss the dads make. Either way, it is important for each family to play to their strengths and never judge if someone is scared or phobic of something. It is also important to show children that both genders are capable to dealing with scary things and different people have different tolerances. In this day and age, the idea that a young girl is cowering away while a man deals with a problem like a spider is the nor,m and the fact that this is almost expected is very sad. Most dads (and mums) are keen to see both gendered kids growing up to expect equality and that can only be a good thing.

So, are pests and creepy crawlies a dad’s job? Well maybe…and maybe not, it’s your call! If you feel like running away but your wife wants to run away more, then jump on in there! But if she is happy to deal with the creepy-crawly and you are terrified then thank her very much for helping!